Gem among the pebbles
by idaydreamtoomuch
Summary: Pretty little soldier girl, sitting by the pond, no one sees her glistening tears, nor hears her muffled sob. She cries because she misses him, because he's already gone, but when she's with her family, no tears, she must stay strong. Alternative Mulan 2
1. Chapter 1

A/N:Hello everyone! This is a challenge from BellaVision. (She (or he)might have even requested one from you before) Anyway, this was long overdue. Like, a month. So, enjoy!

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Chapter 1: A not-so-happy happy day

Blossoms a pale pink drifted slowly to the ground. The stream, like molten crystal, stirred gently in the wind as warm rays hit the stone walls of the garden. Azure skies held fluffy marshmallows that partially concealed a single golden marble. The scene in front of her would have been so beautiful, had it not brought up such painful memories.

_A lone man sits underneath a cherry blossom tree, a forlorn look on his face. She hesitates, before walking up to him. She's nervous, meeting her father for the first time since she ran away to join the army. As she comes closer, he looks up from the cherry blossom he's holding and stares at her for a second, before realizing who she is. _

"_Mulan!" he stands up, surprise etched on his face. Before he can say anything though, Mulan quickly kneels down in front of him and presents the items she had brought along. _

"_Father, I brought you the sword of Shan Yu, and the crest of the emperor! They're gifts, to honour the Fa family." Mulan places them into her father's hands, and looks down at the ground, afraid of his reaction. Suddenly, she hears the sound of something being thrown on grass and she looks up. The sword and the crest! Mulan is engulfed in a tight hug from her father soon after._

"_The greatest gift and honour, is having you as a daughter." Mulan is shocked. Does…does that mean he forgives me? _

_He forgives me. A single tear rolls down her cheek as the revelation hits her, but it is wiped off by a coarse thumb._

"_I've missed you so."_

"_I've missed you too, papa." the daughter buries her face into the father's shoulder, wishing for the moment to never end._

It had been exactly one year after the war ended. One year ago she had stepped into this very garden, carrying her gifts of repentance and hope of acceptance. This time, though, she didn't have a father to meet her and a father to comfort her. This time, though, she was missing a father. Ribbons of salty tears streaked her face as a dull throbbing pain invaded her chest. Why? Why did he have to go? Why did he have to leave Mama? And Nai Nai? But most importantly, why did he have to leave _her_? It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this! Mulan knew she was being childish, that her father wasn't at fault, but she couldn't help feeling this way. She still remembered when her father finally told the family, like it happened the day before.

_The family sat at the dinner table, enjoying the nightly meal. _

"_So, Mulan, when are you planning to marry Shang?" Nai Nai teases. Mulan chokes on her rice. _

"_Nai nai!" she pouts. Her grandmother laughs._

"_Anyway, son, how did your visit to the doctor go?" Nai Nai asks. It was Fa Zhou's turn to choke._

"_Oh, um, it was okay." he says. It was obvious to everyone, however, that he was lying. _

"_Papa, what did the doctor say?" Mulan blurts out before she could stop herself. Fa Zhou smiled, although it never reaches his eyes._

"_It's nothing. The doctor just said that I have a minor case of fei jie he."_

"_Nothing? How can you say it's nothing!" Mulan's mother scolds him. Every single citizen in China knew at least one person who had succumbed to fei jie he. It was a dangerous illness that creeps up from behind you, and when you least expect it, jumps and attacks. _

"_The doctor says that all I need is plenty of rest and I have to drink a lot of water. It's nothing to be worried about." Fa Zhou quickly adds. _

"_Papa, you-you won't die, right?" Mulan asks quietly, exposing the insecure and vulnerable side of her._

"_What? Mulan!"Fa Zhou is shocked as a single tear stains his precious daughter's cheek. He moves over to hug her. _

"_You-you won't leave right?" she asks, as horror stories of fei jie he comes rolling back to her mind._

"_No, because remember my child, death ends a life, not a relationship." he hugs her tighter._ Robert Benchley quote.

"Mulan? Mulan!"

Mulan quickly wiped her tears off her face before anyone could see her. Her mother came rushing in.

"Mulan! What are you doing here! You should be getting ready for the banquet!" Fa Li's face was creased with worry. Age had taken a toll one her. Wrinkles could be seen on her face and her once ink black hair was tainted with grey streaks. Still, she was a beautiful lady.

"I'm sorry, mama. I'll get ready now." Mulan smiled. Fa Li gave her a "What am I to do with you?" look and walked off. The moment she left, so did Mulan's smile. She knew how much her mother was hurting from the loss of her beloved husband, but never did she show it. Fa Li was trying to be strong for the whole family, but Mulan knew about the muffled tears and the hours of staring at his pictures. She wanted to tell her mother that it was okay to cry in front of them sometimes, but she knew her mother would not listen to her. After all, Fa Zhou was always the strong glue that kept the family together, and now that he was gone someone had to take his place. Also, if anyone of them cried in front of Nai Nai it would just make everything worse. Mulan's grandmother was not taking her son's passing well. Always in a constant depression, Mulan was secretly afraid that her normally cheerful grandmother was slipping, drowning in her despair. Today was supposed to be a happy celebration for the end of the war, but she was feeling neither happy nor up to a celebration. She sighed, and reluctantly went to her room to get ready for the banquet.

* * *

Mulan tugged at her dress. A solid pale pink, it was decorated with white orchids. Her hair was pulled back into a semi-tight bun, and a single white orchid sat on it. Mulan's mother decided that it wasn't formal enough, and made her put a string of golden beads in her hair as well. On top of that, Mulan had to cake on make-up. She sulked. That's why she hated going for formal occasions. She had to dress up like a doll, and walk around all dignified and delicate-like. Mulan sneaked a glance at her mother. She wore the same style of clothing as her daughter, except it was a rich purple, with white and pink cherry blossoms lining the bottom of her skirt. Her hair was also in a bun, but white pearls were wound round the base of the bun. Unfortunately, Nai Nai didn't want to come, and both of them didn't want to force her either. She felt the carriage come to a stop. Finally! It had took then more than 7 hours to travel to the royal palace, and sitting in a carriage for 7 hours was definitely not comfortable. Mulan suddenly realized that the day she "saved China" was in fact a day ago, and not today. But then she remembered that Gui Ren, the empress, had in fact died years ago on the very day before she "saved China". That probably explains it. The emperor couldn't mourn his former wife on one day then celebrate the end of the war the very next day.

"Mulan!" She snapped out of her train of thoughts, and saw her mother standing metres ahead of her. She came out of the carriage rather clumsily, but when she saw the look her mother gave her, she slowed down and tried to walk as gracefully as she could. Soon they reached the palace gates. Mulan's mother showed the 'host' their invitation. He looked at it, before bowing at a 90 degree angle.

"Ah, welcome to the palace, savior of China, and I suppose her mother?" he said. Mulan blushed, and her mother smiled.

"Thank you." Mulan's mother said when she seemed to be tongue-tied, and led her into the palace. Both their breaths caught in their throats when they entered the banquet hall. To sum it up in one word: golden. It was as if the room had been dipped into the purest of gold. Intricate pillars that had dragons wound round each of them were made of solid gold. Gold leaves and flowers were painted on the red ceiling. The tiles on the floor were, you guessed it, golden. It definitely wasn't a mistake when they named it the golden hall of banquets. The place was swarming with people. Important people no less. Mulan suddenly felt so common, compared to the guests around her. Her dress felt so plain compared to the intricate designs of the women there. Also, each of said ladies wore so many precious jewels and jade, if they all pooled their jewelry together it could fill a jewel mine. It made the pearls in her mother's hair look so dull. She gulped. Maybe coming to this banquet wasn't such a good idea after all.

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A/N: So how was it? Constructive criticism please.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! Sorry I took so long to update! Anyway, thanks so much to my reviewers Canadarulz, Mira94, Starzinmieyez, the plain jane days are gone, BellaVision, Yana5. Some of you were a little upset by the death of Fa Zhou, but don't worry, it's part of the awesome plot by BellaVision. :) So, on with the story! Oh, another thing, **the emperor in the story is middle aged, around Mulan's mother's age. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE.**

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Chapter 2: Surreal

"I'll like you to stay in the palace."

Mulan stared at the emperor, dumbfounded.

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A few hours ago…

"Please welcome his majesty, the emperor!" All heads turn to the seemingly omnipresent being standing in front of the door. Everyone bowed where they are. The emperor nodded and smiled, before walking to his seat at the head of the main table. Mulan stared at him. He wore a black and red trimmed gold robe with jade beads. Sitting on his head of thick graying hair was the gold crown. As he sauntered to his seat the emperor stroked his fairly bushy beard, and smiled at the food. After he sat down, the rest of the guests went to their seats. All except for Mulan and her mother.

"Where should we seat?" Mulan nudged her mother. She shrugged, and tried to ask the busy servants running around with food.

"Excuse me…Pardon me…Do you…"she asked each passing one, but sighed. All of them were ignoring her. Mulan was getting fed up.

"Can't anyone of you help me?" she asked a little too loudly. The hall fell silent. Slowly Mulan turned around, and realized that every single guest was seated save for them, and they were all gawking at her. Colour rose to her cheeks. Quickly she bowed.

"I-I am so sorry for disturbing everyone. Please continue with your dinner." Mulan said. Noise started up again and some of the elders gave her approving looks. She smirked. No one could say that her mother didn't raise her with manners now.

"Excuse me, your seats are this way." Mulan and her mother turned in time to see a pompous official showing them the way. As she walked past the many tables she could feel the guests staring at her. Do I have sauce on my chin or something? Mulan felt really self-conscious, and kept touching her face and hair and various body parts. You would too if every person you walk past gave you a thorough visual examination. After awhile the mother-daughter duo realized that the official were taking them to the main table.

"Uh…excuse me, sir, are you sure our seats are that way?" Mulan tapped his shoulder.

"Of course." was the short but sharp reply. Mulan gave her mother a "What are we going to do?" look. She replied with a "Do I look like the emperor or something to you?" look. The official finally stopped at two chairs next to each other. Before either of them could thank him, though, he sped off. Hmm…strange…

"Please seat down." A man's voice came from her right.

"Thank you." Mulan replied, and dove for the corner seat. Wait a minute…she whipped her head to the right, and got the shock of her life. THEY WERE SITTING NEXT TO THE EMPEROR? The emperor smiled at her.

"Hello, Mulan, it's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, your majesty." Mulan stuttered. She was still shell shocked. The emperor then noticed her mother.

"Oh, and-and who might this be?" the emperor cleared his throat.

"I am Mulan's mother, your majesty." Fa Li smiled demurely. Mulan realized that the emperor was pretty much, if you wanted to put it bluntly, ogling at her. Suddenly he seemed to snap out of his trance, and grinned. Okay, that was so weird…

"Pleased to meet you." he said, before an official whispered in his ear. He nodded, and stood up. Immediately, the noise in the hall died down. The emperor raised his goblet. Oh! A toast! Everyone understood, and stood up as well, holding the golden cups.

"Three hundred and sixty six days ago, the Huns invaded the palace, and crashed our celebrations. They kidnapped me, your emperor, and we were all done for. However, a brave young girl, who disguised herself as a man to prevent her injured father from enrolling into the army, saved us all. Please raise your glass, and let us celebrate Fa Mulan!" Lour cheers erupted from all over the hall. Mulan blushed, as her mother rubbed her shoulder. Soon everyone was looking at her expectantly, including the emperor.

"Go on, say a few words." Fa Li prompted her. What? No one told her she had to make a speech? She wasn't prepared! What if she phrased her words wrongly and everyone misunderstands her? She was standing next to the emperor, for God's sake! Mulan started hyperventilating.

"Uh…uh…thank you…my fellow friends….um…I couldn't have done anything…without the help…of…of my fellow soldiers…uh…Yo…Lang…and Chung Pi. OH! I mean, Yao, Ling and Chien Po! AND SHANG!" Mulan stuttered, before screaming the last part. Instinctively she clasped her hands over her mouths, as there was a pregnant pause. Luckily, the emperor started clapping, and everyone followed suit.

"You may start eating!" the emperor stated. Noise started again as the guests focused their attention on the delectable spread in front of them. Only Mulan groaned and buried her head in her hands as she sat down again. Fellow friends? Fellow soldiers? What was she thinking? And why did she shout Shang's name out. Oh, she was too embarrassed to look up. She really shamed her family's name now. She peeked up as food was served in front of her. The first course was a selection of three dumplings, one meat, one vegetable and one lotus paste stuffed dumpling. Self-consciously Mulan picked up her chopsticks and chose the meat dumpling. Gradually she was aware that the emperor was talking to someone. But who?

"Yes, yes the cherry blossoms are really luscious this year." Eh? It was a woman's voice coming from her left. Turning her head, Mulan looked down the row she was sitting in. Hmm? Guy, guy, guy, guy, guy, girl, guy…the lone lady was sitting 7 rows down. Surely she couldn't be shouting with the emperor.

"Oh my, me too! I love the play Porcelain China. It really portrays accurately the political dilemma of the Qin Dynasty, with Qin Shi Hwang Ti as the head." Wait, she has heard that voice before…hold on a minute…was that her MOTHER? Mulan pushed her chair back a little, and watched the ongoing conversation between the emperor and her mother. They were so into it, they did not even notice Mulan gaping at them. She realized that her mother was actually laughing. Laughing! Mulan closed her eyes, and savored the moment. She hadn't heard her mother laugh for months. It was so refreshing.

"Mulan, what are you doing?" She snapped her eyes open, only to find the emperor and her mother staring at her peculiarly.

"N-Nothing. Hehe…" Mulan grinned sheepishly, and suddenly she was really interested on her two remaining dumplings. She shrunk further into her seat as the two laughed.

"That girl is really strange sometimes. There was a time where…"Fa Li started, and Mulan groaned. Now the emperor was going to hear embarrassing stories of her.

* * *

Hours passed, and the 15-course came to an end. Needless to say, Fa Li had a wonderful time interacting with the emperor. The same could not be the same for Mulan. The two officials sitting across of her started talking to her about politics and financial strategies, and all Mulan could do was nod her head and smile, although she hadn't the slightest clue what they were talking about.

"Fa Li, I'll like you to stay at the palace." WHAT? Mulan whipped her head so fast she must have sprained her neck, and stared at the emperor, dumbfounded.

"What do you say? Mulan and her grandmother are invited as well." The emperor flashed a rather charming smile. Mulan stiffly turned her head, only for her jaw to drop to the ground as she watched her mother _blush_. BLUSH. If this was an anime Mulan would have fainted comically by now.

"Well, I…I couldn't reject my emperor's request now, could I?" Mulan was gob smacked as her mother said that shyly, then giggled. WHAT THE ***** WAS THAT?

"Perfect! I shall prepare guest rooms for you and your family. Come back on the day after the full moon with your luggages."

"Thank you so much, your majesty."

"Oh no, call me Jing Wei."

"Oh I couldn't call your majesty such an informal name!"

"Please, I insist."

"As you wish, J-Jing Wei."

Mulan almost collapsed as she watched the two exchange words. Were they …F-F-FLIRTING? "Please tell me they were not flirting!" Mulan prayed.

Soon, the emperor retired to his chambers. He walked out of the hall first, but now before subtlety winking at a certain someone. Mulan's eyebrow twitched as she heard her mother sigh.

Mulan went into the carriage after her mother. Said mother sighed as she rested her elbow on the window ledge, staring out into open midnight sky. Mulan was freaked out now. Who was this woman sitting next to her?

"The emperor is such a charming man." Mulan choked on her saliva.

"Offering his guest rooms for mere commoners like us. Such a benevolent ruler." Mulan's knees felt weak.

"Wouldn't it be nice to stay there for a while? Imagine if we could stay there for the rest of our lives…Mulan? Mulan!" Mulan had passed out.

"Hmm…what a strange child." Fa Li muttered.

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A/N: I know, kinda anticlimatic. I didn't intend it this part to be lame or amusing or whatever, but unfortunately it turned out like that. I also didn't intend for Fa Li to end up all swooning like or for the emperor to end up flirtatious, but anyway...stay tuned for the next update. And in case you are wondering why one earth did Mulan not meet SHang, Po, Ling or Chien Po, it's because they were at another table, and they couldn't catch her before she left home. I'm assuming because she was acknowledged most for being the saviour of China so she gets to sit at the main table. R and R please! :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey peeps! Firstly I'll like to say Happy Chinese New Year! In case you don't know what that is it's the Chinese...New Year. Ya, cos the Chinese calandar differs. That's why we chinese (yes I'm Singaporean chinese. Got a problem with that?) in Singapore celebrate that plus the universal new year. Yay! So anyway, I rushed this out during a day off from school, so can't say this is my best writing. Hope you enjoy it anyway...

Thanks to Yana5 and Starzinmieyez for reviewing...:)

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Chapter 3: Friction

"YOU FILTHY WHORE!"

Mulan's eyes snapped open. She was having the most wonderful dream about Shang and her when shouts reverberating through the house broke her slumber. Tossing her blanket off her legs Mulan hurried down the hall. There at the dinner table was her grandmother and her mother. Fa Li looked hurt, her eyes shining with unshed tears in the morning light. Nai Nai was seething with rage, her breath uneven.

'Slap!' It all happened so fast. Fa Li stood there paralyzed and Nai Nai had stormed out of the house. Mulan finally realized: her grandmother had just gave her mother a tight slap. Fa Li clutched her face, tears oozing out of her eyes. Slowly she lowered herself onto a chair, sobs racking her body.

"Mama!" Mulan rushed to the table. Mother clung to daughter, tears refusing to stop flowing. As Mulan continued to console her, all she could think of was what had happened. Her grandmother had never raised her voice once at her daughter-in-law, so what had made her so furious that she had even slapped Fa Li?

"Shh..it's okay…"Mulan whispered. After a few minutes Fa Li pulled away from Mulan's embrace and wiped her puffy eyes.

"Thank you." She smiled. Fa Li saw the unspoken question in Mulan's eyes. _What happened?_

"I told your Nai Nai about the emperor's invitation to stay at his palace for a few days. She asked me why I was being treated so specially and accused me of moving on so quickly." Fa Li sighed, her voice wavering as she remembered the biting words of her mother-in-law. Mulan pursed her lip, worry creased on her face. Why was Nai Nai being so unreasonable?

"Let me talk to her." Mulan stood up, but a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Don't! Let her cool off…"Fa Li said, the nervousness evident in her eyes. _Don't make things worse._

"It'll be fine! Don't worry!" the war hero managed a bright smile, before shaking her mother's hand off and going out into the garden.

Mulan wandered through the garden, crossing the bridge over the river and coming to a stop in front of the pavilion containing the gravestones of her ancestors. A lone figure could be seen kneeling in the middle. She crept up the steps, not wanting to scare her Nai Nai.

"She's forgetting about you, my son…You must stop her…" Mulan caught bits and pieces of Nai Nai's words. She was kneeling in front of her son's stone, tracing his name on the cold grey tablet. Carefully Mulan placed her hand on the old lady's shoulder. Nai Nai stiffened for a while, before relaxing.

"I didn't mean to slap her…I…I was just so angry that she seemed to be moving on already…" Her grandmother confessed. Mulan knelt in front of her, a small smile on her face.

"But Nai Nai, I'm sure she still misses Papa. The emperor offered us this, how could she refuse the emperor? Anyway, how do you know she is moving on? Maybe they are just friends? " Mulan said. Her grandmother looked down, shame radiating from her small frame.

"Nai Nai, why don't you join us? It'll be good to have a change in scenery, don't you think?" Mulan offered, choosing her words carefully. Nai Nai grinned.

"I suppose…but let me apologize to your mother first…" She embraced her granddaughter, before shuffling out of the pavilion. Mulan smiled at her father's picture before joining her Nai Nai.

* * *

Mulan collapsed on the golden plush covers, her eyes already fluttering. Try spending 10 hours on a horse after you realize the carriage can only fit two people with luggage. Unfortunately the emperor was attending the annual budget meeting and couldn't meet them. Her mother and grandmother were already ushered into their rooms. Right now, all Mulan cared about was sinking into the soft pillows and flying off to dreamland. And Shang…

Mulan was knocked out before you could yell "Mulan and Shang, sitting in a tree…".

* * *

Mulan sat up with a start, her heart thumping three times faster than normal. She had the scariest nightmare ever. _So much for dreamland…_ It took her awhile to orientate herself before realizing she was in the palace, in a humungous guest room, in a gigantic bed. Sighing, Mulan laid back down, trying to calm her racing heart.

It was too quiet.

She decided that a stroll through the corridors will do her no harm. Silently she slipped of the bed and closed the door behind her. The moon cast shadows on the scarlet walls, darkness shrouding most of the palace. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to take a walk…

Mulan walked backwards, keeping an eye out for anything that was to jump out and attack her. Gingerly she placed her hand on the bedroom handle, taking one last look around her.

"Thump!" Mulan felt something hit her on her back. She screeched. Her attacker let out a yelp as well. Mulan swung her arms around blindly, panic squeezing her chest. Her attacker slammed head-first into the wall and slid down. Shaking, Mulan walked over and turned him around. He groaned.

"Shang?"

* * *

Ling strolled through the dirt path, humming a happy tune. He had just met Yao and Chien Po and well, it was great to see them again. Suddenly a branch slapped him in the face. Ling cursed, before rubbing the bruise. Why must the only way back home be through an overgrown forest? He frowned, mumbling about his misfortune.

Ling reached the lake. Ahh…his favourite place to relax. The sound of a bamboo flute floated through the air. Ling frowned even further. Who on earth could be playing in this secluded part of the forest? As far as he knew, only he and his family know about this place. Ling walked up the wooden makeshift bridge, looking out for the source of the music. Then he saw her.

She sat on a rock, her slim body swaying with the music. Her black locks rested on her shoulders, a purple orchid perched above her ear. The maiden's eyes were closed, but one could tell they were not small should she open them. Ling had never seen a lady as gorgeous as her before. Sighing, he rested his elbows on the wooden bridge, drinking in her beauty. It was his lucky day…

Then the wood disintegrated. The last thing Ling saw was a duck squawking as he threatened to squash it.

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A/N: Yes, I know it's extremely short, but my eyes got tired...In case you didn't know Nai Nai is chinese for grandmother. Oh, and I bet you're wondering why Nai Nai is so evillll, it's because she's really upset by her son's death, and is really affected by it, so when she hears that Fa Li gets special treatment, of course she's suspicious and hurt. So the next time I'll post a chapter will be during my March hols...so...until next time? :)


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note

**Update: Yo guys! I know, I know, it's 4 September already. I', sososososososossosoooo sorry, but as you can already realise, i'm not done. It took me awhile to realise how big this story is gonna be(slow, right?). Anyway, what I mean to say is, this story needs proper planning to be somewhat coherant, so I' preparing character profiles now. **

**At least with this update, I don't feel so pressurized anymore. Whew! **

**A WORD OF CAUTION: This is my first ever time writing romance, and this is gonna be like a taiwanese serial or something, so talk about jumping into the deep end(there are a lot of pairings). I hope you readers will give me a chance wile I try to familiarize with this genre. The first few chapters are gonna be sucky, but yeah...I hope you'll attempt to read it? *hopeful smile***

**Thanks a bunch! :)**

Hey guys! Sorry, I know you're expecting an update, since I said I would since March, but unfortunately, it's not. I'll be throwing myself into this scenario writing competition I signed up for, which will be due in August, so the next update will probably be around there. I promise! And the competition is like future problem solving(sci-fiiii), which you have to agree, is not the easiest category, so...wish me luck! :)

Anyway, here's a "sneak preview", if you wanna call it that...

The moment Ling hit the water his limbs turned to ice. Limb cramps were not something he laughed about. Obviously Ling could not move his arms or legs, and he felt himself sinking in the frigid water. Air escaped his open mouth, and he could feel his lungs beginning to shrivel up.

_This is it._ He thought. _I'm gonna die an agonizing death, and my body may never be found again, lost in this deep pond, with only the fishes nibbling on my flesh. At least the last person I saw was a gorgeous maiden…_

The water above him was beginning to blur, and Ling closed his eyes. _Goodbye world…_

Hehe, I know right, it's so dramatic!

So, until then! Byeeeee!

-idaydreamtoomuch


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